Same Old Extraordinary Day
by Gevaudan
Summary: An ordinary day at the Lyell Centre turns into a matter of life and death for one of the team. H/N
1. Things To Do, Places To Go

Well this is my first attempt at big, full length case. The first couple of chapters are mostly introduction, but it's all planned out in my head so hopefully it should be uploaded fairly quickly.

Another note, I hate the title. I really do, but I can't think of a title that won't give the game away too easily. It's very annoying, I'll take any suggestions into consideration, but for now, it will do.

All reviews gratefully appreciated!

Same Old Extraordinary Day

Harry hit the snooze button for the second, or perhaps third time of the morning, and vaguely wondered if it was justifiable to go back to sleep for just another few minutes and what Leo's response to that would be.

"_What the hell"_ he thought, shifting into a more comfortable position, one in which his foot was not hanging off the side of the bed in a bid to return to his previously pleasant slumber. Unfortunately, his neighbour in the flat above chose that precise moment to start running his shower triggering the water pipes to start up their cacophony of creaking and protesting. When his neighbour then started his off key rendition of "Don't Stop Me Now", Harry realised there really was no hope, and began to make a move to get out of bed.

It wasn't that he minded going to work, most of the time; he liked his job, he loved the people he worked with and today was Friday which almost certainly meant a trip to the pub. However recent cases, including a disastrous trip to Hungary had left him both exhausted and suffering from insomnia for several weeks. Now he was able to sleep at night, uninterrupted for the most part, but his normal 6:45 alarm still felt inhumanly early, although he had to confess that wasn't an unusual occurrence even before his trip. This morning wasn't helped by a dull persistant aching behind his left eye accompanied by a rolling nausea that usually heralded the arrival of a migraine.

Feeling slightly more awake after a hot shower Harry ambled into the kitchen, flicking on the kettle as he passed. It was only in his search for his Thermos mug, an embarrassingly feminine pink spotty creation that Nikki had once bought him, that he noticed the note on the counter.

Opening it, he couldn't help but smile at the loopy female script inside.

_Harry,_

_Didn't want to wake you, things to do, places to go!_

_See you later_

_Xxxx_

Shaking his head at the typically brief message, he poured himself a coffee and rooted in his cupboard for his migraine tablets, hoping he would be able to at least keep the throbbing to a dull roar. He wondered why it was that the manufacturers thought it was appropriate to make the painkillers in such an eye-wateringly bright shade of pink, it hurt his eyes just looking at them.

"_May as well give it up and live with a girl"_ he thought sourly to himself as he left the flat, "_everything's bloody pink anyway."_

###

By the time he had negotiated his half hour commute to the Lyell Centre, his headache had receded into the wished for dull ache and his mood had improved dramatically, at least until he walked into the office and found his desk occupied by Nikki.

Silently, he crept up behind her, and after glancing quickly around to make sure no one was watching, planted a kiss on the top of her head. Nikki emitted a startled scream and jumped at least a foot in the air, which made Harry both chuckle and wince slightly.

"Is that how you normally greet you conquests in the morning?" he asked with a grin, "Shrieking like a banshee?"

"As opposed to snoring and drooling on the pillow?" she replied, as she turned and pulled him down to her eye level so she could return the kiss quickly. "And I thought we agreed? No PDAs in the office!"

"Leo's on the phone in his office, Zak isn't in today and I'm having a hard time adjusting to the fact that I can kiss you without risking a slap anymore." He replied, perching on the edge of the desk to look at her.

Their relationship over the past five years has been tumultuous, to say the least, but the events of Hungary, and Harry's brush with death and the horror surrounding it had forced them to confront how they felt about each other. There had been no big romantic gestures, just a shared confession over a glass of wine and the next morning they had walked into the office holding hands. Leo had looked pointedly at them, grinned and after that remained steadfastly silent on the matter, after all, nothing had really changed. It had been obvious to him for years that the two had loved each other. He only wished that they had realised sooner.

"Thank you for the note," he commented, "I'm sorry I didn't hear you leave, I could have driven you back round to yours." Nikki had spent the night, as she so often did now, having dropped off on Harry's sofa after watching a terrible film and been carried to his bed to sleep.

"That's ok," she replied with a sunny grin, "You looked too peaceful to disturb, so I just took a cab to collect the car. I'm glad I did leave you now though, you look even pastier than normal. Are you ok?"

"Battling a migraine, nothing that a nice grizzly murder and another pint of coffee wont fix." He commented ruefully.

Leo, chose that moment to enter the room and throw a file at Harry, chuckling at his fumbled attempt to catch it.

"No grizzly murder I'm afraid, looks like natural causes. He was brought in DOA to A and E last night but his GP is unwilling to sign a death certificate as he hadn't been into the surgery in a few months. The coroner requested a PM just to confirm the cause."

Harry flicked through the file taking in the pertinent details.

"Are you sure there isn't a grizzly murder?" he asked cheekily, before becoming distracted by a name in the file. "Don Ashfeld? Where have I heard that name before?"

Leo thought for a moment before answering. "He worked at the university, he was a Professor of Pharmacology. He was doing some research into cardiovascular drugs I think. I met him at a University dinner once. Nice chap, a bit dull," he paused, "very squeamish if I remember rightly. As for _grizzly murders__**, **_as you so nicely put it, Nikki and I are going to a double stabbing, looks like a botched robbery."

Harry looked disappointed and stuck out his bottom lip in a good imitation of a child's pout.

"Now now Harry," laughed Nikki patting his cheek condescendingly, "you know the early pathologist catches the murder."

Stretching onto her tiptoes she gave him a peck on the cheek, before grabbing her case and following Leo out to the car.


	2. No Ordinary Insects

Well here is chapter two. Sorry it's a bit more introduction to the story but the next chapter is almost finished, you know reviews might make my fingers type faster...

Harry had to admit that he did enjoy having the lab to himself, these days it was unusual occurrence. The cutting room, with its gleaming silver surfaces was strangely peaceful, despite the activities which took place inside, and Harry wondered to himself if it was because of all the hours he had spent seeking solace in here by losing himself in his work.

Don Ashfeld, it transpired, had passed away in his conservatory, while watering his plants, which at the age of 65 was probably, thought Harry, a reasonably peaceful way to go. His face held the slightly surprised expression of one who has been overtaken by the events occurring around him.

As he had come directly from A and E to the cutting room, he was still dressed on the lower half of his body, while his shirt had been cut away, no doubt by the paramedics or A and E staff, although it didn't appear that they had attempted strenuous resuscitation, according to the report he had been clearly long since dead at the arrival of the ambulance crew. As Zak was away, Harry's first task was to prepare the body for autopsy, initially by undressing him. It wasn't the easiest task in the world but was greatly aided by a pair of sharp surgical scissors. Harry found after a few moments that he was glad that it was he doing the post mortem rather than Nikki. She had never been fond of creepy crawlies, and the Professor's trousers were covered in spiders, woodlice and earwigs; no doubt a by-product of having lain on the conservatory floor for a few hours before being found by his wife. As Harry finally wrestled off the deceased man's boots and trousers several insects dropped to floor and ran across his feet. He tried not to think of the contamination risk they posed, there was no way he was going to chase an earwig across the floor in the middle of his examination.

Wondering if his day was cursed he progressed onto examining the skin for any contaminants and washing the body. There was a small red area of skin on the gentleman's calf that was probably something and nothing, and some sun related skin damage, but nothing sinister or unusual in a man his age. They only slightly odd thing was that his lips appeared to be slightly swollen, and he resolved to investigate that more closely later.

As Harry gently washed the man's skin he noticed a strange tickling sensation on his own calf, almost as if one of his insect friends was crawling up his leg. Impatiently he shook his leg and was disgusted to notice a small black spider drop out of the bottom of his scrubs. Hastily, he lunged to stamp on it before it could make any further inroads in climbing up him and in the process managed to spill copious amounts of water down himself.

"Marvellous," he muttered to himself, "Should have rung in sick while I had the chance."

Irritated, he proceeded onto taking samples for the routine toxicology screen, dropping them onto the side to take round to the lab later. Yawning, he began to notice that his dull roar of headache was gearing up to make another assault and waves of nausea were starting to make him feel distinctly unwell. He sighed and decided there was no way he would be able to carry out a post mortem with a migraine, nor would he be able to drive home. Prof Ashfeld wasn't an urgent case, so as Leo was absent Harry took the executive decision to put him into storage, go home for a nap and hopefully return to the lab feeling better later in the afternoon.

Cursing insects everywhere Harry changed out of his damp scrubs and left the samples in the lab. On his way out of the building he took the opportunity to ring Nikki, though he was unsurprised when it went straight through to voicemail.

"_Hi! You've reached Nikki, please leave a message."_ She sang out, her cheerful tone for once grating on his ears.

"Nikki its me. Could you let Leo know I've gone home for a bit. I'm having a rotten day and I feel rubbish. I'm made a start on the PM, but will come back in a couple of hours to finish it off. Also you might want to warn Leo I may have let a herd of insects loose in the lab, although I did get the bloody spider that soaked me. Anyway, I'll see you in a bit. Bye."

###

Curled up in the passenger seat of Leo's car Nikki switched on her phone, jumping slightly at the answer machine message alert tone. Swiftly she listened to the message, giggling as she reached Harry's tirade about insects.

"What's so funny?" asked Leo, curiously. In answer she activated the speakerphone and replayed the message.

"A _herd_ of insects? Where did he get a herd of insects from?" muttered Leo in bemusement as the message ended.

Nikki giggled again, her mind full of the mental image of returning to a lab full of ladybirds the size of zebras. She shared this idea with Leo, who did not seem amused by the concept.

"You laugh Nikki, but Harry has apparently just been soaked by a spider." He pointed out in mock seriousness, "Clearly these are no ordinary insects. We must be prepared."

As they passed a row of shops, Leo swung into a parking space.

"Wait here," he instructed Nikki, "I won't be a second."

She nodded, and used the time to dial Harry's number. His phone went directly to answer machine, so not bothering to leave a message, she ended the call. A few minutes later Leo returned, bearing three cans of Raid.

"I got us one each," he explained with a broad grin, "you can never be too prepared for a herd of insects!"

Nikki couldn't help but laugh.


	3. Don't Let The Dead Bugs Bite

Thank you for all the lovely reviews, they are much appreciated. There may be a slight pause in uploading now, depending on how my weekend pans out and how much writing time I get...

But for now, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

It was strange to walk into the Centre in the middle of the day and not expect Harry to be there. She was amazed, that after years of worry about how a relationship would affect work, how quickly it had become normal for her to spend almost every waking moment with him. Luckily, while there no sign of Harry, there was also no sign of his mysterious herd of insects. Leo had left a can of Raid on the centre of Harry's desk with a post-it note stuck to the middle of it, which simply read,

"_Don't let the __bed__ dead bugs bite!"_

Shaking her head at the terrible pun Nikki went to get changed and prepare for the arrival of her stabbing victim.

###

It was a few hours later when she finally left the cutting room having performed the autopsy of Aaron Ford. The police had rung mid-way through the post mortem to inform her and Leo that the police had apprehended the still blood-soaked burglar, and had him in custody. Resolving to come in early tomorrow to complete her report since she was on call anyway, she stuck her head round Leo's door.

"Any sign of Harry?" she asked, interrupting Leo from his intent typing. He sat back in his chair, stretched his arms behind his head and yawned.

"No, not heard a peep from him," He looked at his watch, "Half six, I was sure he would have appeared by now, so he could come to the pub if nothing else!"

Nikki frowned in consternation, and pulled out her mobile, again Harry's number went directly to voicemail. She hadn't realised that it was so late although she had spent the duration of her post mortem waiting for him to appear, grumbling about migraines, insects and work in general.

"I'll pop round," she said decisively, "check he's ok and then we'll meet you in the pub at 7:30 if that's ok?"

Leo nodded in agreement, Nikki's obvious worry, and lack of contact with Harry had started worry gnawing at the back of his mind. However aware he was that the overwhelming odds were in favour of Harry being fine, he would still feel better when one of them had made sure of that.

"I'm sure he's fine, probably just sleeping – lazy bugger!" he attempted to joke, "Let me know if he really is ill, I'll cover his on call on Sunday if need be," he told her, as he waved her out of the door.

Nikki hurried out into the cool evening air, as she tried to think of something that might cheer up Harry in his poorly state. She decided to pop to the shops on the way to his house to pick up some treats, then they could spend the evening curled up on the sofa watching terrible Friday night television. Happy with her plan, she sped off into the descending darkness.

###

Harry was woken up by a buzzing noise in his head that seemed to thrum uncomfortably in rhythm to his own pulse. He was vaguely aware that his t-shirt was soaking wet and he struggled to remember whether or not he had changed out of his wet scrubs earlier. Remembering was difficult, it seemed as though all his thoughts were shrouded in cotton wool. Weakly he kicked off his duvet, realising as he did so both that his shirt was damp because he was soaked with sweat, and his legs did not want to obey any of his commands. Panic started to build in his chest, tightening his throat as he realised that this was no ordinary migraine. He tried to put his symptoms together to come up with a diagnosis but knowledge that usually came so easily seemed to drift away from him like tendrils of fog.

"_Nikki would know,"_ he realised suddenly. She would help him figure out what was making him feel this dreadful. He looked around frantically for his mobile, desperate to hear her calm, reassuring voice. Frustrated he realised he had left it on the sofa along with his keys when he had returned from work.

Gripped by a sudden wave of nausea, he swung his feet to the floor and attempted to stand up, as he did so his legs spasmed painfully, depriving him of any balance he may have had. Unable to right himself, he pitched forward and as he did so, his head met the sharp corner of the desk, with a groan he crumpled, bonelessly, to a heap on his bedroom floor.

As his faded into unconsciousness, his last troubled thoughts were of Nikki. He wished she was with him; he had no idea what was wrong with him, and that made him incredibly afraid.


	4. What's The Emergency?

Well, there was nothing on TV last night so I managed to get another 2 and half chapters done. Hopefully I'll get some more done tomorrow as well.

Feedback always gratefully received, I'm worried I'm spinning this out too long, but hopefully you don't mind too much.

All recognisable characters etc belong to the BBC.

Although she had a key, Nikki still knocked sharply on the door of Harry's flat – hoping to wake him if he was still sleeping. But there was none of the grumbling she expected to hear from him, in fact there was no sound coming from his flat at all. Fishing in her bag for the spare key Harry had given her only last weekend, she quietly let herself into the apartment.

"Harry?" she called softly, looking around for him. His keys lay discarded, along with his mobile, on the sofa. His jacket had been cast off onto a chair, and further along the floor, towards the bedroom door his shoes had been haphazardly cast off. His bedroom door had been firmly closed and she eased it open slowly, pausing for a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the dim light within.

As they did so, the first thing she noticed was that Harry's bed was empty, the duvet piled into a heap at the bottom of the bed. As she surveyed the room the second thing she noticed was a hand, protruding out from down the side of his.

"Harry!" she screamed hoarsely, rushing to his side, her hand already seeking for her phone in the depths of her bag.

He didn't move, as she dropped to her knees beside him she wasn't even sure he was breathing. His face was covered in blood from what looked like a deep gash on his forehead, a blood stain across the corner of the desk revealed the cause immediately. With a moan of distress Nikki bent down, her ear close to Harry's mouth, horrified she realised there was no movement of air, no sound, no movement of his chest. Harry wasn't breathing.

With a strength belied by her slender frame, Nikki wrenched Harry over onto his back. A dim voice in her mind from her medical school past reminded her of the dangers of moving people with unknown injuries, but in that moment all she could think was if she didn't start Harry breathing soon, any other injuries would be irrelevant. As Harry flopped onto his back his neck stretched out as his head lolled, and to Nikki's immense relief, this change in position was enough to allow him to take, an admittedly feeble, breath.

With shaking hands, she dialled 999, willing the phone to connect faster.

"_Emergency, which service do you require?"_

Nikki took a deep breath and tried to regulate her voice, although all she wanted to do was shout at the operator.

"Ambulance please." Her voice caught on the words, so they came out like a strangled sob.

There was a long moment of silence, as the operator was no doubt patching her through to the ambulance service. Nikki took the opportunity to rest two fingers on Harry's throat, feeling for his carotid pulse.

"_Ambulance Service. What address please?"_

Nikki recited Harry's address carefully.

"_An ambulance is on route. What is the emergency?"_

"Its my boyfriend Harry, I've found him unconscious with a head injury." Nikki reported, trying hard to keep her answers succinct.

"_And how long ago did you find him?"_

"About a minute ago, he wasn't breathing initially but I turned him onto his back and he's breathing on his own now."

"_Ok, and how old is he?"_

Nikki tried hard to think, she knew the answers to all these questions, and yet every pause felt like a lifetime.

"He's thirty eight."

"_And does he have any medical problems?"_

"Um, no not currently. He has a past history of heart murmur but he's normally fit and well, and on no medication. He complained of a migraine earlier today and came home to rest – he's now tachycardic, his breathing is erratic and I think has a temperature, he's covered in sweat." Nikki bit her lip to try and prevent herself from sobbing down the phone. The more she told the ambulance service, the more she realised that there was more affecting Harry than a concussion from a fall.

"_Ok, an ambulance should be close by now. Is he still breathing?"_

Nikki bent down to check, sighing with relief as a soft breath of air brushed her cheek.

"Yes, yes he is."

"_Ok that's great. Now do you know the recovery position?"_

"Yes."

"_Ok, I want you to put Harry in the recovery position, then I need you to go and let the ambulance crew into the building."_

A sob escaped Nikki's throat, she couldn't bear the thought of leaving Harry on the floor alone, even for a short period. She couldn't shake the idea that something terrible would happen to him if she left him alone.

"I can't leave – I can't..." she stammered, as she sobbed openly.

The operator softened, the previously cool voice warmed to a soft Northern accent.

"_I know its hard luvvie, but he'll get the help he needs quicker if you can let the paramedics in. Then they can whip him off to hospital sharpish. So for now he needs to be in the recovery position, can you do that for me sweetheart?"_

Nikki nodded, then realised the operator couldn't see that.

"I'm just doing it now," she stuttered, laying the phone on the floor next to her, activating the speakerphone. Swiftly she moved Harry into the recovery position, grateful to her medical school for instilling that knowledge so deeply into her subconscious. "Ok, I'm going downstairs now."

"_Well done sweetheart. The crew should be outside right now. Can you go and let them in?"_

Nikki scrambled to her feet and ran across the apartment, as she descended the stairs, she could see the luminous glow of the paramedic jackets through the frosted glass of the main door.

"They're here," she gasped down the phone, "I can see them at the door."

"_Ok love, I'm going to leave you with them now. You've done really well."_

"Thank you so much," Nikki was more grateful that she could express for the unknown operator's calm instructions. She flung open the door to admit the two waiting paramedics and hurriedly led them back to Harry's side.


	5. How's Sleeping Beauty?

Well another day another chapter. I'm trying to give you a chapter a day and at the moment I am at least a chapter ahead so its all going to plan.

I really hope you are all enjoying this, I'm loving writing it and looking forward to the next few chapters. I'd be really grateful if you could drop me a review, even if its just a couple of words, just to let me know you are still out there!

The ride to the hospital was the longest eight minutes of Nikki's life. The ambulance had raced through the traffic with screaming sirens and strobing blue lights, yet despite all the chaos around him Harry hadn't made a single movement. He lay strapped to a trolley, half hidden by monitors and his oxygen mask and the paramedic bustled back and forth performing his tasks so Nikki was forced to curl up in her seat to stay out of the way.

She would have loved to leap in and help in some way, but she had to admit it was a long time since her accident and emergency rotation and there was a very real possibility that she could do Harry more harm than good. So instead she was forced to listen, in increasing worry, to the conversation between the paramedics and the hospital.

"This is crew 364, we are en route to you with a 38 year old male with a head injury, including a scalp laceration. He has been unconscious throughout with a GCS of six, scoring E1, V1, M4. He is currently tachycardic at a rate of 120bpm and hypertensive at 140/100. His is also tachypneic with a rate of 28 per minute and pyrexial with a temperature of 39.4 – there is no obvious cause of infection. Chest is clear with equal air entry. ETA 3 minutes."

The paramedic rattled the information off with barely a pause. It appeared to Nikki that the paramedics were suspecting some kind of infection was at the root of Harry's illness and she inwardly cursed herself for not noticing that he was ill. He _had_ looked pale, she realised angrily. She should have checked on him as soon as she got back from the case, and she should never have left him alone in the lab. If anything happened to him it would be all her fault.

The ambulance squealed to a halt outside the doors to the Emergency Department and Nikki tried in vain to keep up with Harry's rapidly moving trolley as doctors around her shouted orders for X rays, CT scans, blood tests and lumbar punctures.

They wheeled him straight into the Resus room, and with a curt, "Wait here please, Miss." Nikki was left alone.

###

It was eight o clock and Leo sat alone in the pub nursing his first pint of the evening. Janet had rung a few moments ago to let him know she still had a long report to complete and would see him when he got home. There was no sign of Nikki or Harry yet, which struck him as slightly strange. Nikki was unfailingly considerate and would have rung him if she had been held up or if Harry was too ill to want to come to the pub. As he considered this his phone began to vibrate on the table, Nikki's name illuminated on the screen. Flicking it open he answered with a grin.

"Hello Nikki! How's sleeping beauty?"

He was shocked when all he heard in reply was the sound of crying.

"Nikki?" he almost shouted, worry overtaking him, "What's happened Nikki?"

Amidst her sobs he could vaguely make out Harry's name.

"Nikki where are you? What's happened to Harry?"

There was a pause at the other end of the line and he could Nikki trying to get her breathing under control. Although he was desperate to find out what had happened he forced himself to be patient and give Nikki the time she needed to get her emotions under control.

"I'm at the hospital," she finally gasped out, "Leo, Harry's really sick," again the tears threatened to overcome her, "he's unconscious, and they're running all kinds of tests, and they won't let me see him."

By the time she had finished her sentence Leo was on the street, hailing a cab.

"I'm on my way Nikki," he told her, "Harry will be fine and I'll be with you soon."

He hated hearing her devastated sobs at the other end of the phone.

###

Leo's cab swung into the entrance of his hospital, the first thing that caught his eye was Nikki, hugging her own slender frame against the cold as tears coursed down her cheeks. Throwing money at the cab driver, Leo leapt out of the cab, and crushed Nikki to his chest in a hug, rubbing her back soothingly.

Eventually he released her, keeping one reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"What's happening Nikki?" he asked quietly, as she led him back into the warmth of the hospital building.

"I don't know!" she sighed in exasperation, she quickly summarised what had happened since she had last seen Leo, "they've taken him for a CT scan to check there's nothing more serious to his head injury, but that was when I rang you, so he should be back soon. They also mentioned something about a rash on his leg. They weren't sure if it was an allergy or some kind of infection, but he's not allergic to anything is he?"

Leo shook his head after thinking for a moment.

"Not that I'm aware of," before he could say anything further, a young doctor appeared at their side and ushered them into a relative's room.

"Don't worry," she began, as they sank nervously into the soft chairs, "I've just come to let you know what's happening, Mr Cunningham had you listed as next of kin I believe?"

At their confirmatory nods, she continued.

"Well, I'm pleased to let you know that his head CT was clear, so it looks now as if the cut on his head was a largely superficial injury. However there is some underlying illness, but at this moment in time we're not one hundred percent sure what's causing that. We are running a lot of tests, but as I'm sure you're aware, results take time." She paused to let them take all that in, "Now as a precaution, we've taken Mr Cunningham to a high dependency room in the infectious diseases ward until we are sure of what we're dealing with. It does appear that his kidneys have been affected, and we know he has a history of heart problems, so we just want to be ready to deal with any problems that may crop up. Now, do you have any questions?"

"Is he conscious?" Nikki asked tremulously.

"He did wake up briefly," the doctor confirmed, "But he was very confused and agitated so we've given him some sedation to let him rest. Now, I have to go and arrange his transfer upstairs, I suggest you go and get some rest while he's asleep and come back early in the morning."

She left them alone, each of them with their head dropped into their hands.


	6. Normal Things Like Normal Couples

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the reviews! It made my evening! It's great to know there's some people on here doing the same course as me at Uni!

I hope you enjoy this chapter – I am going to try and update soon but I have lots of work on at the moment and my muse is shooting off in other tangents so it might be a few days. I'm sorry!

"Come on Nikki," eventually Leo ordered his thoughts enough to stand up, "come back to mine and Janet's tonight, and we can come back tomorrow."

Nikki didn't move, didn't even look up at Leo. Eventually, she answered, her voice barely audible.

"I can't leave him Leo."

He perched on her chair arm, wrapping an arm round her shoulders in support.

"You aren't leaving him," he reassured her, "But Harry's sleeping right now, and he needs you to be strong for him when he wakes up.

"It's not fair!" she burst out, "Surely Hungary was enough? I thought I'd lost him then! And now finally, we've got ourselves sorted out, but we haven't had long enough Leo! I can't lose him now, it's just... it's not fair! I want to do all those things you dream of doing with someone. I want us to get a dog, well... no... I really want a parrot, I don't know why... I want us to get married, and have children and spend Sundays doing the weekly shop. I want to paint his flat so his bedroom isn't such an awful colour, then I could move in, and put up a Christmas tree with him, and book a holiday and all those normal things that normal couples get to do! But once again, fate gets in the way and something happens, and now I might lose him and he might never know that it was him that I wanted all those things with."

She paused, and gently Leo intervened.

"He'll know, Nikki. In fact he already knows because he wants all those things with you too," she leant into his chest and he cuddled her close, as he continued, "apart from the parrot perhaps, I'm not sure on Harry's parrot views."

There was a watery chuckle from Nikki.

"Now I know you want to stay here for him, but Harry's fast asleep and will be until the morning. You are exhausted and you need some sleep so you can take care of him when he wakes up. I promise you we'll come back first thing in the morning, and everything will seem a bit better."

He felt Nikki nod against his chest and gently he led her outside to find a taxi.

###

First thing the next morning Nikki walked into the hospital alone, Leo had to stop in at the lab to check no urgent results or messages from the police had come in overnight. She had barely slept last night and dark circles ringed her sad brown eyes. She made her way to the infectious diseases ward, where she was let in by a large motherly nurse with sympathetic eyes. When she asked for Harry she was directed to one of the isolation rooms, further down the corridor. As she approached it her feet slowed, terrified of what she might see through the windows of his room.

Harry lay asleep, surrounded by machines, beeping in reassuring, rhythmic, harmony. He looked pale and drawn, accentuated by the white dressing across his forehead. Swiftly she donned the gloves, mask and apron that the ward required and slipped into the room to sit by his side, gently taking his hand as she did so.

"Wake up Harry," she whispered softly, "I really miss you."

She didn't expect the soft flutter of Harry's eyelids in response to her words.

"Harry? Can you hear me?"

She watched him struggle towards consciousness, vaguely reaching up a hand to tug at the oxygen mask that covered his face. Deftly, she took his hands in both of hers and held them still.

"Nikki?" he mumbled, almost incoherently.

"Shh," she soothed him, "I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere. It's going to be ok."

"Nikki?"

"Yes Harry?"

"Love you..."

"I love you too."

He turned his head slowly, struggling to fix his eyes on her. He looked strangely unfocused and it was clear that the sedatives of the previous night were still affecting him.

"Why're you in a mask? What's wrong?"

Nikki thought for a moment before answering, not wanting to worry him unnecessarily, but equally not wanting to lie when she knew Harry would eventually figure it out for himself.

"The doctor's aren't sure yet, so they've got you isolated just in case. But they should be getting results back in a few hours so you just need to rest and feel better."

She smiled, as he nodded and his eyes drifted shut, only for him to struggle to open them only a few seconds later. With a shadow of a grin he asked quietly.

"Am I turning into Boil Face?"

Nikki couldn't help but giggle.

###

Being in the lab really wasn't where Leo wanted to be that morning but sadly, people seemed disinclined to stop dying, no matter what problems affected his team. Luckily there had been no calls overnight and all that sat in the in-trays were the tox reports from yesterday's samples. He was aware that the post mortem that Harry had begun would need to be completed but he planned to come back and do that after seeing his colleague in hospital. Nikki had looked dreadful as she had left his house this morning and he wanted to be there to support her as much as to see how Harry was progressing. He flicked through the three toxicology reports surprised that the only red abnormal value was visible on the report for Harry's professor. He was even more surprised when he saw what it represented. Shoving the report in his pocket, he grabbed his car keys to make his way to the hospital, dialling Nikki's number as he did so.

###

Nikki sighed as her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. She didn't want to leave Harry alone, but he was currently fast asleep, amidst the cacophony of bleeps around him. The caller display informed her that it was Leo attempting to call her, so she slipped out of Harry's room to answer his call.

"Leo?"

"Hi Nikki, how's Harry?"

"He's on a catalogue of medication at the moment, I'm not entirely sure what it's all for at the moment, but he seems ok for the time being. They're keeping a close eye on him as his kidney function is still dropping off, they've no idea what's causing it yet though."

Leo sighed, he wasn't sure that the information he had found would help Harry at all, but it did seem that all the symptoms fit.

"I got the tox report back on Harry's PM from yesterday." He told her, "It seems that Prof Ashfeld's blood was positive for latrodectus toxin."

At Nikki's sharp intake of breath, he could tell that she understood.

"You don't think?" she asked, he mind whirring.

"I think it's not unlikely," Leo confirmed, "That Harry has been bitten by a black widow."


	7. Fingers Crossed For Invisibility

**Sorry its been a long time in updating, and that now this is a very short and slightly pointless chapter. Thank you for all the lovely reviews from all of you! I'm very grateful!**

**I'm really missing SW – I must save up for the DVD boxsets!**

**As usual the BBC own everything recognisable. I own the spider.**

Harry's head felt like it was full of fluff and thinking about anything for more than a few seconds seemed to take considerably more effort than he would have liked. He slowly turned his head to discover the source of the irritating noises that were setting his teeth on edge, and found himself surrounded by a plethora of machines. He had a feeling that he should know what they were all for, but couldn't seem to pull that knowledge out of his memories. The chair beside his bed was empty but he recognised the coat draped over it as Nikki's. He wondered where she was, and what was happening.

Thinking back Harry couldn't remember much of the last couple of days. He remembered being at the lab, had a vague recollection of going home, after that everything was a confusing blur, punctuated by people shouting his name.

He was aware of a dulled feeling of anxiety, fluttering deep within his chest although, try as he might he couldn't seem to put his finger on what was bothering him. The more he concentrated on the feeling, the more the feeling grew, with the bleep of the heart monitor accelerating in concert.

With a frustrated sigh, Harry lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He remembered Nikki's voice, and had some recollection of speaking to her, though he couldn't remember what he had said. He had thought she might be here, but obviously she would be back soon if she'd left her coat.

As though the thought of her had somehow summoned her presence, she blew into the room, her face lit up with a beaming smile.

"Harry!" she cried out, rushing to his side, "Leo's figured it out! You'll never believe it but he thinks you might have been bitten by a spider!"

Harry's face twisted in confusion as he tried to make sense of this information.

"Was it radioactive?" he asked, cheered by Nikki's answering giggle.

"Why?" she asked, arching her eyebrow, "Would you like superpowers?"

He paused, pretending to think for a moment,

"Well... invisibility would get me into the ladies locker room," he mused.

Nicki swatted amiably at Harry's head, and felt immediately guilty as he jerked away and winced at the sudden movement. At that moment Leo made his entrance, his face poking round the door enquiringly.

"Nikki, I know it's been a lot more peaceful without him but please try not to lengthen his stay. I know it's unusual but allegedly he does some work with us."

Nikki flushed with guilt, only marginally reassured by the gentle squeeze that Harry gave to her hand. Leo smiled gently in apology and took a seat in the chair, leaving Nikki to perch on the edge of the bed.

"Have you told him yet?" he asked Nikki.

"About the radioactive spider?" asked Harry, "Yes, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for invisibility."

Leo chuckled appreciatively.

"What do you remember about the insects in the lab?" he asked. Harry closed his eyes trying to recollect any details.

"There was a few of them, all caught up in his remaining clothing, I assume because he was lying on his conservatory floor. One spider ran up my leg – nasty bugger. I stamped on it, though I did spill water all over me in the process."

Leo and Nikki nodded, finally understanding the contents of the answer machine message.

"What did it look like?"

"The spider? Spider-like, Leo. Small, black, eight legs, the usual. To be honest I was more concerned with squashing it, than its vital statistics."

Leo fished in his briefcase and pulled out the tox report from Don Ashfeld, he passed it over to Harry who squinted at it before thrusting it back at Leo with an impatient sigh.

"Leo, I don... I _can't_ think straight to know what that means!" aware he had raised his voice more than he meant to, he was immediately contrite, "I'm sorry, Leo, I didn't mean... I shouldn't have shouted, I'm sorry."

Harry was frustrated with himself for losing his temper. The anxiety that had abated with Nikki's calming presence had re-awoken and he was becoming uncomfortably aware of the fluttering beat of his heart in his chest. It didn't help that the increasing rate of the soft bleep of the heart monitor betrayed his anxiety to his friends, no matter how well he tried to hide it. They were both muttering reassurances to him softly, but he couldn't help but see the concerned glances they gave the monitor and each other.

Leo cleared his throat.

"Latrodectus is the toxin of the black widow spider. Although it usually has red markings it can be entirely black, and Mr Ashfeld tested positive for the toxin. Unfortunately for him, his blood also showed high levels of IgE, suggesting that he was allergic to the venom, which is probably what killed him as black widow spiders are rarely fatal. In fact victims usually present with tachycardia, hypertension, anxiety and muscle spasm and paralysis."

He looked pointedly at Harry who nodded in recognition of his own symptoms.

"I've spoken to your doctor and she's arranging for a blood sample to be sent to our lab so we can confirm the toxin in you."

Nikki was frowning in consternation.

" You don't get black widow spiders in Britain." She said eventually, "not even in conservatories, but Ashfeld had to have been bitten there, as anaphylaxis would have killed him extremely quickly. So how did it get there?"

All three of them exchanged a long look.

"Well," Harry began, "either he had a really unusual taste in extreme pets, or..."

"Or," Leo finished grimly, "someone tried to kill him."


End file.
